Automatic raw material feed for carding machines



g- 25, 1954 KENJ! HlJlYA ETAL 3,145,426

AUTOMATIC RAW MATERIAL FEED FOR CARDING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledJan. 22, 1962 25, 1964 KENJI HlJlYA ETAL 3,145,426

AUTOMATIC RAW MATERIAL FEED FOR CARDING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledJan. 22, 1962 INVENTORS KENT! umvn, Ynsumno NHRANO R.

ILHISRBURO RHINO Aug. 25, 1964 KENJI HIJIYA ETAL 3,145,426

AUTOMATIC RAW MATERIAL FEED FOR CARDING MACHINES Filed Jan. 22, 1962 4Sheets-Sheet 5 new rm 5%?5??? I NHKRNO K IC-HISRB M RING Aug- 2 1964KENJl HIJIYA ETAL AUTOMATIC RAW MATERIAL FEED FOR CARDING MACHINES 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 22, 1962 INVENTOR5 KIN. HIM, YASUHIRO UBNRIM[@HISIBURO KHINO United States Patent 3,145,426 AUTGMATKC RAW MATERHALFEED FOR 7 CARDWG MACHINEF hen Hrgjiyn, Amagasalri, Hyogo Prefecture,Yasnhiro Nalrano, Tarumi-lru, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, and lchisaburoKaine, Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan, assignors to Nihon Spindle Illfg. Co.,Ltd, Amagasalri, Japan, and Nitto Eoseiri Co., Ltd, Fukishania, .lapanFiled .l'an. 22, 1962, Ser. No. 167,865 Ciaims priority, appiicationJapan Jan. 25, 1961 6 Claims. (Cl. 19-105) This invention relates toimprovements in arrangements of conveying and feeding fibrous rawmaterials such as cotton-wool for the process from a mixing and scutching means to carding machines.

One object of this invention is to provide arrangements for conveyingfibrous raw material delivered from a mixing and scutching means, theconveyance being efiected automatically by means of air stream through amain duct from which a plurality of branch ducts is provided forallotting the raw material into the same number of carding machines withthe branch duct, the allotment being controlled at the branching points,whereby the allotment is effected evenly and the fibrous raw material isconveyed smoothly.

Another object of this invention is to provide arrangements forconveying fibrous raw material, in which, while the raw material isconveyed and allotted in a disjointed state suitable for the conveyanceby air stream and allotment, the disjointed raw material is shaped intoa lap having a proper width to be fed into the carding machine, theshaping being efiected just before the raw material is fed into thecarding machine, whereby the carding machine is operated more easily andmore surely.

Further another object of this invention is to provide arrangements ofthe class described, in which the fibrous raw material circulatesthrough passages being conveyed by air, of which on the way the materialis allotted into the carding machines where possible over allottedmaterial is recirculated so as to take part in the allotment again.

Briefly stated in accordance with one aspect of this invention, there isprovided an arrangement comprising a delivering means, carding machines,and a raw material conveying system, the delivering means storing thefibrous raw material scutched, and the conveying system conveying theraw material from the delivering means to the carding machines andincluding lap shaping means at connecting points of the conveying systemwith the carding machines. A The invention will be better understood andother objects and additional advantages of the invention will be comeapparent upon perusal of the following description taken in connectionwith the drawings, and the scope of the invention will be defined in theappended claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view of an arrangement embodying thisinvention;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view corresponding to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertically sectional side view of a controllingreceiving means for allotment;

FIG. 3A shows the overall conveyor and allotting means for feedin thecarding units;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional perspective elevation of a feeding meansfor a carding machine;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspectiveview thereof;

FIG. 6 is a further enlarged horizontally sectional plan view thereof;and

KG. 7 is a further enlarged vertically sectional View thereof takenalong lines BB of FIG. 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the preferred embodiment ofthis invention will now be described; however, this description will beunderstood to be illustrative of the invention and not as limiting it tothe particular construction shown and described. In FIGS. 1 and 2, ageneral arrangement is shown. There is a mixing and scutching means Afrom which fibrous raw material is delivered for feeding. it is thendisjointed and separated into small fiber groups of a size suitable tobe conveyed by air through a main duct C. The disjointing is furthereffected by means of a suitable method such as air jetting at aseparator 13. The disjointed raw material is conveyed through the mainduct C in the direction shown by an arrow by means of air streamproduced by a blower l. The main duct C branches into a plurality ofbranch ducts C at a plurality of points. The point corresponds to groupsof carding machines P, where a controlling receiving means D and D isprovided for allotment of the conveyed raw material into the cardingmachines F under control by the controlling receiving means D and D. Theallotted raw material is fed into a branch duct C" by an air jettingnozzle 2%, as shown in FIG. 3, whence the material is fed into eachcarding machine F through respective feeding box H and automatic cardfeeder E (FIG. 2) by a subsidiary blower 1'. A sliver formed from theraw material in the carding machine F is traditionally accumulated in areserve box where the slivers of the grouped carding machines are combedout and conveyed to an autoevener by a conveyor to be controlled andthen fed into a drawing frame where the slivers are drawn (and drawnslivers are coiled into a usual condensing can by conventional means).Any excess of the raw material fed to the carding machines or thecontrolling receiving means therefor is returned to a returning box G,located at the beginning point of main duct C, through the main duct Cand a returning duct C, extended therefrom, for recirculating thereturned raw material through the main duct C.

. Now referring further more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, moredetailed explanation will be given. There is a controlling box 2 foreach branch duct C". Raw cotton is delivered out of a mixing andscutching means A into the main duct C arranged facing the mixing andscutching means A and conveyed through the main duct C by means of airstream produced by a blower 1 to the controlling box 2 arranged above areceiving means D and branched from the main duct CI The main duct Ccommunicates with the controlling box 2 through an inlet 3. The bottomof the main duct C is given with a down slope 4 to the inlet 3 so as toenlarge the section of the main duct C thereto gradually. There is anexpanded portion 5 of the top of the main duct C arranged above thecontrolling box 2 so as to prevent the inlet 3 and the following part ofthe main duct C from a fact of clogging by cotton. A subsidiary passage6 is provided to communicate the main duct C with the controlling box 2so that a subsidiary air stream occurs being induced by the cottoncarrying air stream through the main duct C and joints thereto from theinterior of the controlling box 2. A resisting block 7 having a frontwall 7 and a rear wall 7" is positioned between the inlet 3 and thesubsidiary passage 6. These walls and the top wall of the resistingblock '7 serve to constitute the inlet 3, the subsidiary passage d, andthe main duct C. A filter net ting 8 made of metallic material, glassfibre, vinyl resin thread, etc. is positioned across the lower part ofthe subsidiary passage 6 in order to prevent the cotton allotted to thecontrolling box 2 from the main duct C from counterfiowing therethrough.A compressed air nozzle 9 is provided within the upper part of thesubsidiary passage 6 and arranged downwardly so as to blow off cottonclogged onthe filter and to insure the subsidiary air stream through thesubsidiary passage 6 by means of intermittent air jet jetted out ofcompressed air nozzle 9 controlled by an electromagnetic valveintermittently and communicated with a compressed air source such as acompressor through a compressed air pipe 10 and a branch thereof 16'.Between the upper part and the lower part of the controlling box 2,controlling plates 12 are provided in such a manner that they areswingable on shafts 11 so as to close the space between the two parts ofthe controlling box 2. The Swinging of the controlling plates 12 relatesto the swinging action of a rake 14 by a photoelectric means or othermechanical means (not shown). A hopper-feeder 13 is positioned in theproximity of the lower part 2' of the controlling box 2, in which therake 14, a conveyor 15, a roller 16, a pin sludded conveyor 17 androllers 18 and 19 are provided. The cotton is disjointed into a suitablesize on the roller 19 by means of air jetting nozzie formed displaceableand arranged in face of the roller 19 and delivered to a deliveringfunnel 21 and further delivered to a branch duct C" which is connectedat the end of the delivering funnel 21. By virtue of the connectingpoint of the controlling box 2 to the main duct C constructed as above,the cotton carrying air stream passing through the main duct C flowsinto the controlling box 2 easily where the raw cotton is fed to thecontrolling box 2 and the excess air stream flows back to the mainstream, passing through the subsidiary passage 6 into the main duct C soas to smooth and ensure the conveyance and allotment of the rawmaterial.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 through 7, an automatic feeder E for a cardingmachine will be explained. There is provided a pair of taking up Woodrollers 22 under the bottom of the feeding box H, whence the cottonpassed through the nip of the taking up wood rollers 22 is fed onto theupper surface of a dish plate 24 through the nip of a pair of pressrollers 23. The cotton fed onto the surface of the dish plate 24 is heldand driven by a feed roller 25 arranged above the dish plate 24! so thatthe cotton having a predetermined relatively small width is admittedonto the surface of a beater 27 such as a garnet roller. The upper endof a cotton feeding duct 28 is extended so as to form a cover 26 of therotary beater 27. The cotton feeding duct 28 ends at the feed roller 25and the dish plate 24 and opens thereto. A mote knife and grid bars 29spaced at a small intervals is provided under the rotary beater 27,whereby weighty matters such as leafy refuse, dust, seeds, etc.contained in the cotton are made to strike against the grid bars 29 bythe action of the centrifugal force so as to fall from the bars andremove from the cotton. The upper end of the cotton feeding duct 28 isbent in a curve and extended to the cover 26 while the lower end 23' isexpanded segmentally into an enlarged width which is equal to the 'idthof cage rollers 30 and 31 and that of cotton to be fed into the cardingmachine. The lower end of the cotton feeding duct 28 is enlargedoutwardly so as to cover a pair of the cage rollers 30 and 31 and opensat 34 just above a pair of feeding rollers 49 so as to deliver cottoncontinuously downwardly. A dust receptacle 35 having an outlet door 36is provided under the grid bars 29.

A blower 38 is driven by an electric motor 37 so as to constitute asuction means. The cage rollers 39 and 31 are hollow cylinders, of whichthe cylindrical walls have a great number of perforations 39, andarranged horizontally. As the case may be, a feeding roller may besubstituted for one of the cage rollers 33 and 31. Under the pair offeeding rollers 40, a dish plate 41 is positioned, extendinghorizontally, and, between the feeding rollers and disk plate 41,abovethe intermediate of which a press roller 42, and above the end ofdisk plate -41, a feed roller 43 is provided. Beyond the disk plate 41,there is the carding machine, of which numeral 44 indicates a cardingcylinder.

The cage rollers 30 and 31 are driven by gears 45. Numeral 46 indicatesa suction duct, communicating with the cage rollers Sit and 31 at theirends so as to suck and remove dust, short fibre, and the like throughthe perforations 39 of the cage rollers 30 and 31. Numeral 48 indicatesshafts of the cage rollers. Numeral 49 indicates spokes of the cagerollers 30 and 31 whereby the latter are mounted on the shafts 48,respectively. The hollow interiors of the cage rollers 39 and 31 arecommunicated with the suction ducts 46 through ports 50 arranged betweenthe spokes 49, respectively. Numeral 32 indicates a taker in rollerwhereto the cot-ton 33 is fed continuously through the opening 34 underthe lower end 28 of the cotton feeding duct 28.

In operation, as explained above, lap having an optional width, alreadyopened, mixed, and scutched'from raw cotton-wool, or sliver fed byfeeding rollers out of the feeding box H arranged behind the cardingmachine, which is supplied and allotted with the raw material in thestate of mixed and scutched as above, the supply and allotment beingdone by a series of conveying means such as air conveying system usingan air duct, is again dusted by a opening and dust-removing meanscomprising a beater, so as to form a superior sliver having apredetermined regular width and thickness. Raw cotton or wool mixed andscutched is conveyed on and along the upper surface of the dish plate 24and held between the surface and the lower side of the feed roller 25 soas to feed the beater 27 such as a garnet roller with the raw materialat a constant speed. The raw cotton is loosened by tearing action of therotating beater 27, removing weighty impurities such as leafty refuse,dust, seeds, or the like which are thrown down into the dust receptacle35 by virtue of the centrifugal force imparted by the beater rotating ata high speed and the collision of raw material against the grid bars 29spaced at small intervals. The beater 27 rotating at a high speedgenerates an air stream. The cover 26 is positioned around the beater 27and has air inlet perforations positioned suitably therein. The spaceinside the cover 26 is communicated with air suction means 46 and 47through the cotton feeding duct 28 and the segmental enlarged lower end28 thereof so as to be affected by suction of the cage rollers 30 and31. Therefore, the light weight fibre is transferred into the cottonfeeding duct 28 and allotted onto the whole surface of the cage rollers30 and 31 evenly throughout the whole width thereof which is equal tothe width of the carding machine so as to form a lap of desired widthand even thickness. During this formation, dust and short fibre arefurther removed through the perforations formed on the cage rollers 30and 31.

' Thus the cage rollers 30 and 31 serve two functions, one

being the even and uniform allotment of cotton opened, loosened, anddusted by the heater 27 and the other being the further removal ofimpurities and short fibre. Therefore, the cotton to be fed into thecarding machine is effectively purified by the twice removal ofimpurities and short fibre by the beater 27 and the cage rollers 30 and31 and allotted evenly to feed the carding machine with the purified andallotted cotton lap or sliver automatically, whereby it is possible toimprove the operation eificiency remarkably. Furthermore, since it ispossible to select the speed of the rotation of the feed roller 25proportionate to the rotation of cage rollers 30 and 31 at will, itbecomes possible to select the final amount of material per unit oflength oflap suitably to fit the length of cage rollers 30 and 31. Whenthe feed roller 25 is rotated faster than the cage rollers 30 and 31, itbecomes appropriate to form a cotton feeding duct 28 having a widerlower portion 28 whereby it is possible that the upper constitutingparts or opened cotton allotting means, particularly the feeding box H,are made to occupy a smaller area,. consequently minimizing the cost ofconstruction of the installation as well as reducing the space requiredin a mill.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, modifications thereof will readily occur to those skilled inthe art. It should be understood therefore that the invention is notlimited to the particular arrangement disclosed but that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all modifications which do not depart fromthe true spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. An automatic, pneumatic raw material feed for carding machinescomprising:

a mixing and scutching means,

a main looped air duct having entrance and exit ends connected to saidmixing and scutching means to receive incoming raw material and returnany excess for recirculation,

plural controlling receiving means in communication with said main airduct intermediate its ends at spaced locations, therealong,

plural branch looped air ducts, each having an entrance end connected toa respective controlling receiving means and an exit end communicatedwith said main duct to receive an allotment of raw material from therespective controlling receiving means and return any excess to the mainduct,

at least one feeding box attached to each branch duct to receive asub-allotment of raw material; and

a respective carding machine receiving raw material from each feedingbox.

2. An automatic, pneumatic raw material feed for carding machine asclaimed in claim 1, including an automatic card feeder positionedbetween said feeding box and said carding machine, said feeder receivingmaterial from said feeding box and conveying same to the cardingmachine.

3. An automatic, pneumatic raw material feed for carding machine asclaimed in claim 2, said automatic feeder having a cotton feeding ductprovided with a relatively narrow inlet and a relatively wide outlet, arotary beater positioned within said inlet, relatively long cage rollerspositioned within said outlet, and said cotton feeding duct having anupper and lower portion, and the upper portion of said duct beingcurved.

4. An automatic, pneumatic raw material feed for carding machines asclaimed in claim 3, including an air suction duct in communication withsaid cage rollers so as to suck. and remove dust, short fiber, and otherwaste material from the cage rollers.

5. An automatic, pneumatic raw material feed for carding machines asclaimed in claim 1, including a resisting block in communication withsaid main loop air duct and said controlling receiving means at theirrespective spaced locations, said receiving means having a front Walland a back wall, said resisting block having front and rear walls, saidfront wall of said resisting block and the front wall of the receivingmeans forming an inlet passage into said receiving means, and said rearwall of said resisting block and the back wall of the receiving meansforming a subsidiary passage to allow the excess air carrying the rawmaterial to flow back to the main stream in the main duct so as tosmooth and insure the conveyance and allotment of the raw material.

6. An automatic, pneumatic raw material feed for carding machines asclaimed in claim 1, said main duct being provided with a blower, andeach of said branch ducts being provided with a subsidiary blower.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,165,088 Gordon Dec. 21, 1915 2,964,802 Aono et al. Dec. 20, 19603,029,477 Wildbolz et a1. Apr. 17, 1962

1. AN AUTOMATIC, PNEUMATIC RAW MATEIRAL FEED FOR CARDING MACHINESCOMPRISING: A MIXING AND SCUTCHING MEANS, A MAIN LOOPED AIR DUCT HAVINGENTRANCE AND EXIT ENDS CONNECTED TO SAID MIXING AND SCUTCHING MEANS TORECEIVE INCOMING RAW MATERIAL AND RETURN ANY EXCESS FOR RECIRCULATION,PLURAL CONTROLLING RECEIVING MEANS IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID MAIN AIRDUCT INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS AT SPACED LOCATIONS, THEREALONG,